thinking what a gift of a piece the studio will make for my Brides Go West wedding blog. It was Poppy who gave me a scoop introduction for a blog piece a few years ago when celebrity Josie Redman chose Sera, Jess’s main designer, to make her wedding dress. It’s always been one of my favourite bridal shops to visit.
Better still, the shop is the perfect inspiration for copy in winter when there are fewer real weddings to feature. I write all the Brides Go West social media content, so I’m always on the lookout for pretty things to photograph and new angles for pieces. By the time I’ve trawled every corner here I’ll have inspiration to keep our followers clicking through until more weddings start up again in the spring.
Jess may have put a flute of Prosecco in my hand, but we’re in the same business. She watches the bubbles rising in her glass and the bow on the low neck of her chiffon blouse heaves as she takes a breath. ‘It’s no secret – in a global economic slowdown, weddings are the first casualty.’
I usually leave conversations like this to Phoebe. Talking about anything global makes me feel like someone else is moving my mouth. ‘Most people just don’t have the cash to splash anymore.’
‘In a nutshell, Milla, that’s my point exactly.’ Jess taps a pale russet nail on the windowsill. ‘Weddings without limits took the shop to fabulous places but we have to face it – those heady days are over.’
I know exactly what she means. ‘Suppliers used to fight to get a place at our wedding fairs, but lately a lot of them can’t afford it. In the city now it’s more about budgets than blow-outs. And being kind to the planet, of course.’
Jess’s stare is intense. ‘This is why you’re invaluable, Milla. Whatever the cosmopolitan brides are embracing will be trending here next season.’
I smile. ‘Meghan certainly turned the bridal mindset upside down when she walked down the aisle in that classically simple dress of hers. And more and more brides are going for gowns like Ellie Goulding’s, with high necks and statement sleeves.’ Sensing Jess nodding, I’m throwing it all in. ‘But today’s couples think about every penny before they spend it. And when they do, vegan menus are big, silent discos are popping up everywhere, and some couples are even going alcohol-free.’
Poppy’s nodding in agreement. ‘That’s true. We had one of those over Christmas at Daisy Hill Farm. They had afternoon tea, then it was berry cordial all the way until home time.’
Jess has her disgusted-of-St-Aidan face on and her voice rises to a rant. ‘This is what we’re up against – pinching the pennies, lace-free and no booze! How bloody boring is that?’ She blows out a breath. ‘The good part is, people will always get married. We’ve always offered our brides amazing value and the most startlingly beautiful, exquisite products. If there are fewer brides per square mile, we’ll simply have to expand our reach.’ She pauses to give me a piercing stare ‘Which is where you and your alchemy come in, Milla.’
‘My what?’ Just when I’m giving myself silent cheers for keeping up, my patchy education comes back to haunt me. I’ve never quite got over being the only person in any room without a single exam under their belt. The thing is, back then, missing the exams happened without me noticing. But there are big gaps in my knowledge. It’s the strangest thing – when you do know something, it’s often no big deal; when you don’t, the chasm between you and everyone else is huge.
As a teenager, when Mum was ill, she never actually asked me to stay home. Her illness started as a tingle in her fingers and ended in total paralysis. At first, all we noticed was her stumbling. But as her condition got worse, she needed me there to look after her and I couldn’t do anything else. So long as my younger brothers went to school, that was all that mattered to me.
If it happened now, I’m sure there would be social workers chasing me down. But back then the teachers understood we were struggling and were kind enough not to cause us any more grief. I was a write-off. The important thing was that my mum saw my brothers come through with straight A’s before we lost her.
Looking after my mum certainly gave me a strong stomach for the grittier side of life.